1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to vascular interventional medical devices, and more particularly concerns guide wires for use in a therapeutic system or for delivery of medical devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional minimally invasive catheter based therapies, including those used for stent delivery, typically require guidewires that are one to two meters long extending through a longitudinal lumen in the catheter, and that are torqueable and pushable at the proximal end, yet soft and flexible at the distal end. Many such guidewires are made of stainless steel or the like, and are ground to tapers which provide the desired bending properties along the guidewire. It is useful for such guidewires to be torqueable from the base of the guidewire for manipulation of the distal tip, which is typically bent, for guiding the distal tip through vascular passages. While such guidewires need to be torqueable, pushable and resilient, particularly at the proximal regions of the guidewire, they also need to be flexible, particularly at the distal regions of the guidewire.